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Everything About Sunscreen: We all definitely include sunscreen in our daily skin care routine. This is a product which not only protects the skin from sunlight but also protects the skin from tanning, wrinkles, premature ageing, sunburn and skin cancer.

But, there are many misconceptions regarding sunscreen due to which people believe and do not use sunscreen properly, due to which the skin gets damaged. Use of sunscreen is necessary in every season, be it winter, summer or monsoon. Apart from direct sunlight, it also gives us protection from heat. Sunscreen also protects our face from the blue light of the phone.

How does sunscreen work?

Sunscreen acts like a shield between your skin and the sun.

• physical sunscreen

It contains zinc oxide or titanium dioxide. It sits on the surface of the skin and reflects the sun’s rays like a mirror.

• chemical sunscreen

The chemicals present in it get absorbed in the skin and absorb the UV rays and convert them into heat and expel them from the body.

How does sunlight cause harm? (Sun Damage)

Exposure to UV rays is beneficial to some extent, as it provides essential Vitamin D to our skin. It is beneficial for bones, blood cells and our immune system, but excessive sun exposure can lead to premature aging and cause skin cancer.

Uses of Sunscreen

• An adult should use 6-8 teaspoons of sunscreen to protect the entire exposed body from the sun.
• Sunscreen should be applied to all exposed parts of the body including the face, neck and ears 30 minutes before going out.
• It should be reapplied every two hours or if you sweat a lot, or have been in water, after drying yourself with a towel.
• Apart from this you should wear such clothes. To prevent sunlight from coming in, one should also wear long sleeve clothes, sun-protecting hat and sunglasses.

What does sunscreen mean?

The number that appears on sunscreen bottles is the sun protection factor, or SPF. This means, the higher the number, the greater the security. The SPF rating measures how much protection your sunscreen provides against UVB rays.

For example, applying sunscreen with SPF 30 correctly means it will take 30 times longer for your skin to turn red than without sunscreen. SPF 30 allows about 3% of UVB rays to penetrate the skin and SPF 50 allows about 2% of rays. Sunscreen with at least 30 SPF should be used.

Proper layering is also important

To get the full benefits of any product, it is very important that it is applied correctly. For example, if you are wearing makeup then you should layer the product properly. You should apply sunscreen first during makeup. When it gets absorbed into the skin, then apply foundation. Similarly, first use moisturizer and then sunscreen on the skin. Only after this apply any other product on your face.